Somebody to Die For
by Arwennicole
Summary: They were thought to only be partners. Only few people know their secret. Let's take a look at this couple on and off the battlefield. NOT AOU Compliant.
1. Chapter 1

Somebody to Die For

By

Nicole

 **Summary: They were thought to only be partners. Only few people know their secret. Let's take a look at this couple on and off the battlefield.**

Somebody to Die For

Chapter 1: The Call

Clint woke up to the sun shining in his face. He groaned, covering his eyes. "Dammit," he muttered.

"You're noisy in the morning, Barton," his wife of five years told him.

"We forgot to close the curtains, sorry that the sun hits my face first in the morning," he answered, making her laugh softly.

On his left hand was a thick gold band. Her left hand that was resting on his chest had a simple gold band shaped almost like a small tiara with seven diamonds on it. Clint kissed the top of his wife's head, holding her close for a minute before getting up. Natasha reached over, grabbing his shirt that was lying on the floor, pulling it on as he pulled on his pajama pants. "What's the plan today?" she asked as she got out of bed.

"Our usual training, Nikolai and Gabrielle should be up," he replied.

Natasha smiled as they went to get ready for their workout.

In the basement, the two of them were locked in their usual workout routine of hand to hand combat. Clint grabbed his wife's arm, threw her onto the floor. Natasha immediately rolled onto her knees, swiping her leg out to try to knock him down. Clint hit the mat. He kicked up, hitting Natasha in the stomach. It wasn't long before they were wrapped up in each other. Both struggling for control. "MOMMY! DADDY!" their daughter shouted. Clint was hovering over his wife when they heard their daughter shout.

"And duty calls," he answered.

Natasha smiled as she pushed him off her. "Come on, daddy," she teased him.

"Ooh call me that later on," he answered.

"You're a pervert," she told him, making him laugh.

They reached the top of the steps as their daughter rushed up excitedly. "Mommy, can I get pancakes?" she asked.

"Of course," Natasha replied as she picked her up.

Clint walked into the kitchen to find his son, Nikolai, building a model airplane. Nikolai had the dreams of becoming a pilot. He always wanted to fly. "Morning, buddy," Clint said smiling, kissing the top of his head.

"Dad, can we go flying?" Nikolai asked.

Clint grabbed orange juice out of the fridge. "I'll see if Mike can let me borrow his plane today," he answered.

"Really?" Nikolai asked.

"Yep, you got a good report card this semester," Clint replied.

Natasha smiled as Nikolai jumped up from his chair, hugging Clint tightly. "Thanks dad!" he said excitedly, making Clint chuckle. He kissed the top of his son's head, holding him close.

Later on, Clint drove up to the airport with Nikolai anxiously looking out the window. "Wow! Is that our plane?" he asked.

"Yep," Clint replied as he gout of the car.

"AWESOME!" Nikolai explained as the nine-year-old got out of the car.

Clint wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders as they walked over to the jet. They walked over to the jet and they got inside. "You ready, buddy?" he asked in the headset.

"Let's go!" the boy said excitedly.

Clint chuckled as he started the plane up as Nikolai looked out the window excitedly. Clint couldn't help but smile, the day Nikolai was born it their lives had changed completely. Natasha a one-time killer assassin that SHIELD wanted to take out, only he made the different call. He fell in love with the Black Widow instead as she fell for him. It took months for her to trust him, but when she did their relationship was stronger than any other partnership in their field. They were married in Budapest, as Clint likes to remember it. He gave her his mother's ring, the only thing that was worth keeping of his childhood was the ring.

They didn't think about having children. It never crossed their minds. Then Nikolai came along, it shocked and terrified them both. Then, Clint brought his growing family to his family farm. He never thought he would see that place again. He had no desire to see that place again, but then he led his pregnant wife inside.

 _Clint held Natasha's hand as he led her up the stairs to the house. Taking out the key, he unlocked the door, pushing it open because it was stuck from the lack of use. Natasha went inside first. It could use a bit of fixing up, there were some old stains on the old rug. There was still cigarettes and ash in the ash tray on the table. There were some old beer cans and bottles sitting up on the counter. Some broken chairs in the kitchen from one of his father's last rampages. Natasha rested her hand on her stomach as she walked through the living room as their unborn son kicked her hand. "It's actually a beautiful place," she told him, surprising him._

 _"Think so?" he asked._

 _"Have I ever lied to you?" she asked, giving him a slight smile and raising her brow at him._

 _Clint chuckled, but then he could see that with a fresh coat of paint and removing everything that was his parents', this could be a home. Natasha moved her fingers over the walls where broken pictures hung. She took one picture down, showing her husband as a child holding his first bow with a sad smile on his face. She walked over to see Clint staring uneasily at the house. From the beginning he had doubts of being a good father after what his father had done. Placing the picture on the end table, she walked over and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "Hey," she called softly, pulling him out of his reverie. She rested her hands on his cheeks, making him look at her. "You will **never** become that man," she told him, "You could never hurt me, or our son." She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "You are better than your father ever was," she assured him. Clint looked at her and rested his forehead against hers. Her arms moved up and around his neck. "We can make this home," she whispered._

Clint looked over at Nikolai to see him staring at the world below. "What do you think, buddy?" he asked.

"This is awesome!" Nikolai answered excitedly, "I want to do this when I grow up."

Clint smiled as he ruffled up his son's hair. "You can do anything you put your mind to," he answered. Nikolai looked at his dad with a beaming smile.

Natasha was pulling Gabrielle's hair up in pigtails. Natasha started to hum to her daughter, kissing her temple gently. "Momma, why do you gots to go aways?" Gabrielle asked.

"Mama is going to be gone for a few days, sweetheart," Natasha answered.

Gabrielle frowned. "But Laura will be here, you guys will have so much fun," she added.

"Okay," she answered softly.

Natasha held her daughter close, kissing her cheek softly. "Momma loves you so much," she told the little girl. Gabrielle hugged her mother tight with tears in her eyes as she sniffled. "Don't cry, Ladybug, momma and daddy will be home before you know it," she whispered. Gabrielle sniffled as she curled up in her mother's arms as Natasha rubbed her back.

That night, Natasha walked out of the bathroom wearing a dark purple negligee. She walked over, straddling his hips as Clint smiled up at her. "You be careful when you go back to Russia," he told her. Natasha ran her hands over his chest.

"I should say the same for you," she answered.

Natasha kissed him deeply as his arms went around her back. Clint kissed her back, moving her onto her back as his hands moved over her body. His lips started caressing her neck as she let out a sigh. She moved her knees apart so he was resting on top of her as close as possible. She playfully bit his shoulder and he groaned against her neck. She moved her hands along his back, dragging her nails along his skin. He nipped along her skin as she arched her hips up against his. "Fuck baby," he groaned into her ear.

"Clint," she moaned.

They slipped off each other's clothes easily. He nipped at her bottom lip playfully, making her laugh as she pushed him onto his back. Clint nipped along her jaw and then moved lower on her body. She moaned in pleasure, arching her hips as he moved his lips along her thigh. She gripped his arms tightly, letting out a gasp when he licked her slit teasingly. "You bastard," she muttered, making him chuckle. He kissed his way back up her body before she pushed him onto his back again. She rested her hands on his chest as she slid onto him. Clint groaned, tilting his head back as the pleasure coursed through him. Natasha smiled as she rested her hands on his chest as they started a pace. His hands gripped her hips as she gasped softly in pleasure. He sat up, holding her to his chest as they ground against each other. "Oh Clint," she moaned.

"Nat," he groaned in her ear.

She gripped his back as he held onto her hips as the pleasure mounted. Clint pushed her onto her back, gripping the blanket by her head as he sped up his thrusts. Natasha cried out, wrapping her legs tightly around his hips. A few more thrusts into her body and they both became undone. She arched her back as she cried out in pleasure as he buried his face into her neck, groaning.

They slowly came down from their highs. Besides the act itself, they loved the aftermath when they would just stare at each other with smiles on their faces. Natasha stroked his square jaw with a soft smile on her face. Clint pushed the hair from her eyes. "Still won't be as good as Budapest," he answered, making her laugh.

"Yeah, nothing hotter than adrenaline filled sex in between the biggest fight of our lives," she replied as she rolled to the edge of the bed, grabbing his shirt that he had haphazardly threw on the floor when he got ready for bed.

She pulled it on as he grabbed his boxer briefs off the floor, pulling them on as well as his pajama pants, since Gabrielle had the habit of coming in her parents' room in the middle of the night. Either from a nightmare or she just liked sleeping in her parents' bed more than hers. "You know, I think we should move Gabby into Nik's room," Clint commented. Natasha laughed.

"There's an idea," she answered, "Our nine-year-old son sharing a room with his three-year-old sister."

"What's wrong with that?" he asked.

"It's sadly not going to stop her from coming into our room at night," she answered.

"Why wouldn't that work?" he asked.

"Clint, she's three, she's at that age where she wants to be near us," she replied, "Get used to it, baby, because before you know it she's going to be thirteen and we're going to be the weird parents who embarrass her."

"God, I hope not," he muttered as he lied down.

Natasha stroked his hair, smiling at him. "What?" he asked.

"Just looking at you," she answered.

"Why?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you have to cheapen the moment?" she asked, hitting his chest, making him laugh. Clint gripped her hand tightly when she went to roll away from him.

"Hey," he called to her.

Natasha turned back so she was lying beside him. "I love you, you know that right?" he asked.

"Always," she replied as their legs were entwined together as his arms went tightly around her.

Natasha smiled as she moved her fingers over his arm, letting out a deep breath. "Just be careful?" she asked.

"I'm just going to be sitting in my "nest" watching the doc test that weird cube thing," Clint answered, "Very standard, very boring."

She looked him in the eyes. "Clint," she said softly. He saw that she was really concerned. "After what we've been seeing in the last few years, please, be careful?" she asked. He moved his fingers along her cheek.

"Always," he answered.

She moved her arms tightly around him, kissing his shoulder. "I don't know how to live without you at this point," she told him as his arms moved around her back. Clint frowned as he rubbed her back.

"You don't need to worry about losing me, baby, I'm going to be around for a long time," he answered.

She kissed his shoulder again as they started to settle down a bit for the night. "I love you," she whispered into his neck.

"I love you more," he answered.

Early the next morning, Clint had showered and dressed in his SHIELD uniform. Natasha was packing up his duffel for him as they were trying to be quiet so not to wake the kids. She held out the small, think chain to him and he took it, slipping off his wedding ring as he wordlessly hung the ring from around his neck. This was routine. The two of them getting ready for their missions. They would both kiss their children 'bye' before they would go their separate missions. Natasha slipped her ring on the chain around her neck as he handed her the other duffel he had packed for her. "You come back to me, Barton," she told him.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you since you're the one going off into dangerous territory?" he asked.

Natasha just straightened the sides of his jacket. "Just come back to me, Barton, you know I hate it when I become this worried wife," she answered. Clint stroked her cheek.

"I'll come back, I promise," he told her.

He kissed her softly, lovingly as his arms went around her back. Natasha kissed him back, her hands resting on the sides of his neck.

They both went into their kids' room, kissing them each as their kids sat up to hug them both.

Natasha sighed as she saw Laura walk in. "I know the routine, you guys just come back," Laura told them smiling.

"Thanks again, Laura," Natasha answered, hugging her.

Laura hugged her back with a smile before Clint gave the woman a hug. She became more than a part-time nanny for their children, she actually became one of their closest friends.

Leaving the house, Natasha walked over to the car as she heard the motorcycle start up. She looked over as Clint got on the bike, revving the engine. She watched as he sped down the road, kicking up dust behind him. She smiled a little before getting in the car and sped down the road.

 **(One Week Later)**

Natasha let out a frustrated sigh as the General shoved the cell phone to her ear. "We need you to come in," Coulson told her.

"Are you kidding? I'm WORKING!" she snapped.

"This takes precedence," Coulson answered.

"I'm in the middle of an operation here and this moron is giving me EVERYTHING," Natasha told him.

"I didn't…give you…everything," the man said slowly.

Natasha gestured that she was on the phone. "Look you can't pull me out of this…" she started to say.

"Natasha," Coulson told her, cutting her off, "Barton's been compromised."

Her heart went into her stomach. " _Barton's been compromised_ ," the words echoed in her head.

"Let me put you on hold," she answered.


	2. Come Back

Chapter 2: Come Back

Clint walked through the tunnels of Loki's hideout. The demigod walking beside him. "Tell me, Agent Barton, who is SHIELD's best besides you?" he asked. Clint kept walking.

"Natasha Romanoff, she was an assassin that the Red Room had used to send out to destroy their enemies before joined SHIELD," Clint replied.

"Any weaknesses?" Loki asked curiously.

"She's ashamed of her past as an assassin," he replied.

"Is that so?" Loki asked.

The evil part of him was telling him to reveal to Loki that he was Natasha's weakness, but it was wrestling with the part of him that refused to reveal their deepest secret. "Anything else?" Loki asked. Clint glanced at him. The wedding ring around his neck feeling like a thirty pound weight. He let out a deep breath.

"No sir, that's all," he replied.

On the Helicarrier, Natasha found an empty hallway and took out her cell phone. "Hello?" Laura answered.

"Hey, hi, Laura…are my munchkins home?" she asked.

"Hey! They sure are, Gabby was just asking for you," Laura replied.

"Oh yeah?" Natasha asked.

"Hi momma!" she heard Gabrielle call out.

Tears welled up in her eyes when she could hear her children. "Hey guys, are you being good?" she asked.

"Yeah," they chorused.

"Is dad next to you?" Nikolai asked hope in his voice.

Natasha had to swallow against the lump in her throat. "No, no he's not here right now, buddy, he's…in the middle of something," she replied.

"Is dad ok?" Nikolai asked, not believing his mother.

"He's fine, I promise," Natasha replied, "I'll have him call you guys when he's done."

"Romanoff," Fury called out.

Natasha looked up. "I have to go you guys, but you two be good for Laura alright?" she asked.

"Yes, momma," they chorused.

"I love you two so much," she told them before hanging up.

She looked over at her boss. "You told me this mission was going to be simple," she told him angrily.

"It was supposed to be simple, it became complicated," he answered.

"If he comes here, I'll handle him," she told him.

"Romanoff he's dangerous," Fury answered.

"And so am I," she told him, "I'll take care of him, you won't send anyone else after him because they'll try to put a bullet in his head."

Fury watched her walk away and let out a sigh.

The hours ticked on, Natasha was sitting in her quarters, playing with her wedding ring when Fury walked up. "Romanoff, we need you to talk to the prisoner," he told her.

"You might not have a prisoner if I talk to him," she answered.

"We need to know what he plans to do next. If you want, find out what he plans to do with Barton and if he's able to be saved," Fury told her.

Natasha set her wedding ring on her desk before she got up and left the room.

Natasha walked into the cell as Loki was pacing, his back facing her. She was silent as she stood there. "There's not a lot of people who could sneak up on me," he stated.

"But you figured I would come," she answered.

"After…After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you appear as a friend and I would start talking and then I would cooperate," Loki stated.

The redhead was silent as she stared at him. "I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton," she told him.

"You can say I've expanded his mind," he answered.

Natasha walked closer to the cell. "Once you've won…once you're king of the mountain. What happens to his mind?" she asked. Loki smirked as he looked at the woman.

"Is this _love_ , Agent Romanoff?" he asked.

" _Love_ is for _children_ , I owe him a debt," she answered.

Loki sat down. "Tell me," he told her. Natasha let out a sigh as she pulled up a chair.

"Before I worked for SHIELD…well…I had a specific skill set. I didn't care what I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me," Natasha explained.

 _Natasha was lying on the ground, an arrow in her side. She was lying on the ground in the rain, trying not to show pain as a person walked up to her. He stood above her. "Do you want to live?" he asked._

 _"What?" she asked._

 _He held his hand out to her. "You're going to be alright," he told her. Natasha scoffed at him._

 _"You know that? Is that what you know?" she asked._

 _Hawkeye just smirked at her, still holding out his hand._

Natasha looked back at the demigod. "He made a different call," she finished.

"And what would you do if I vowed to spare him?" he asked.

"I'm not going to let you out," she answered.

"No but I _like_ this! The whole world in the balance and you bargain for one man," Loki stated amused.

"Regimes fall every day, I tend not to weep over that I'm Russian. Or I was," she answered.

"What are you now?" Loki asked.

"It's not all that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out," she answered.

Loki stared at her. "Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire?" he asked. Natasha's heart twisted in her chest at his words. "Barton told me _everything_ , your ledger _dripping_ , it's _gushing_ red and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself is going to change anything?! This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer... PATHETIC! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code. Something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away," he told her. He pound his fist into the glass of his cell, making Natasha jump back. "I won't touch Barton! Not until I make him kill you, slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear!" he spat. Natasha suddenly felt her stomach twist. He was getting into her head. The unshed tears were showing in her eyes, she tried to fight it. "And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good worse and when he screams I'll split his skull!" he spat at her as she turned away from him to get herself together.

Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is my bargain you mewling quim!" he spat. She couldn't help but think of it, to imagine what Loki would make Clint do to her if she couldn't bring him back. Their children being raised alone all because she failed him.

"You're a monster," was all she could get out.

Loki chuckled softly at her words. "Oh no, you brought the monster," he told her. Then it hit her, she swung around.

"So, Banner? That's your play?" she asked.

She walked away, telling Fury instructions before turning around. "Thank you, for your cooperation," she told Loki before leaving.

Natasha left the room to see Phil standing there. "You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Natasha replied, "I need to find my husband before this bastard does anything else to him."

She walked up the steps without another word.

During the attack, Natasha was sitting in a corner in complete shock over what had just happened. If not for Thor she would have been dead. "It's Barton, he took out our systems. He's heading to the detention level! Does anybody copy?" Fury asked. Natasha pulled herself together.

"This is Agent Romanoff, I copy," she answered.

She got up and went back towards the detention level.

Clint was walking towards Loki's cell. He could feel her walking up behind him. " _Don't touch her!_ _Don't you fucking touch her!_ " the real Clint Barton snapped internally. Evil Clint smirked as he took out an arrow and tried to shoot Natasha but she pushed the bow out of the way and he missed.

" _Think you can save her, Barton?"_ Loki's voice sneered in his head.

Clint elbowed Natasha in the chest, sending her back a few feet. " _Kill her, Barton, just like how she fears! To be betrayed by her partner_ ," Loki's voice ordered him to do.

 _"No!"_ Clint answered.

Natasha pulled his bow away as he grabbed his knife, swing it around. " _Please don't make me do this!_ " Clint exclaimed.

" _Have we been lying, Barton_?" Loki asked.

Natasha grabbed his arm, twisting it up, but he passed his knife to his other hand. Natasha could see the internal fight, really if he really wanted to kill her he could've done it already. "Come back to me!" Natasha called out to him.

 _"Ah…so it **is**_ _love, how exciting!_ " Loki said laughing.

Natasha blocked his arm as he tried to aim the knife at her throat, but she twisted it so it was aiming at him. " _Finish her, Barton! You've got her!"_ Loki spat. Clint grabbed the back of her head, yanking her head back and the knife was at her throat.

"Clint, I know you're in there, come back to me!" Natasha called to him.

Natasha thought quickly, she leaned forward and sunk her teeth into his arm. Clint cried out in pain before she threw him head first into a rail, sending him to his knees. He looked up at her. "Natasha?" he muttered. She could still see the blue in his eyes, punching him in the head and this time he was down for the count. Natasha crouched down beside her husband, touching his neck to see if he was still alive from two hard hits in the head. She looked up when two guards came over and she stood up, facing away from them.

"Agent Coulson is down," Fury called out.

"We're sending medics," an agent answered.

"They're here, they've called it," Fury stated.

Natasha frowned, feeling numb as the guards picked her husband up and dragged him away.

Later on, Natasha was in the room with Clint watching as he was trying to fight the rest of the magic Loki had cast over him. "Clint, you're going to be alright," she told him.

"You know that? Is that what you know?" he answered.

Natasha walked over to a pitcher of water, pouring him a cup as he was coming back. "My head…I have no window…I have to flush him out," he muttered. He relaxed when he felt his wife's hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to take a while to get yourself back in order," she answered.

"No you don't understand…you ever had someone take your head and play? Take you out…stuff something else in? You know what it's like to be unmade?" he asked.

Natasha looked over at him. "You know that I do," she replied. He looked at her, letting out a deep breath.

"How am I back? How did you get him out?" he asked.

"Cognitive recalibration, I hit you really hard in the head," she replied as she sat beside him.

Clint looked at her. "Thanks," he murmured. She gave him a smile as she undid his wrists. "Natasha, how many agents did I…" he started to say.

"Don't, don't do that to yourself, Clint. This was Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we've ever trained for," she answered.

She stroked his cheek lightly, giving him a soft smile. "Our secret is safe, he asked me about your weakness, I didn't tell him about our kids," he told her.

"I know," she answered, "Which tells me there was still part of you in there."

Clint held her hand in his, holding their clasped hands to his chest as he let out a deep breath. "You kept our children safe," she whispered, resting her forehead against his. Clint rested his other hand on the back of her neck. "You should take this back too," she murmured, holding up the chain that had his wedding ring hanging from it. Clint took the chain, putting it back around his neck. "I'm so happy you're okay," she told him. Clint hugged her close as she kissed his shoulder and neck. Clint hugged her tightly, letting out a deep breath.

She let him go. They had to get Loki, he couldn't win.


	3. The Aftermath

Chapter 3: The Aftermath

After the battle, Natasha and Clint were in their quarters. Clint removed his vest to reveal the cuts on his back from the plate glass window he had gone through to escape the explosion. "Lay down," she told her husband. Clint lied down on his stomach. Natasha carefully straddled his lower back with first aid stuff. She started to carefully remove glass from his shoulders. They were silent the whole time as she cleaned the cuts on his back. After she finished patching up his injuries, he sat up.

"My turn," he told her.

He pushed the hair from her eyes, looking at the cut on her head. He cleaned the cut as she rested her hands on his bruised chest. Their wedding rings hung from their necks as they just silently took care of each other's wounds. Natasha leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. Clint kissed her back, moving her back onto the bed carefully so not to hurt her. Clint took this moment to pull away from her lips, caressing her face with his lips as she sighed softly. Her hands moved over his torso carefully so not to hurt him. Clint moved his lips along her soft neck, making her moan softly as she hitched her leg over his hip. His free hand moved along her leg. She arched her hips up a little, biting her lower lip gently despite the pain her mouth was from the battle. Clint moved his lips along her throat. He pushed her tank top up, his lips moving over the bruises along her ribs.

Clint's lips moved lower as he undid the button on her pants, pulling them down. He pressed a kiss along the scar on her stomach the sign of her and their daughter's survival after an emergency c-section. Her pants were stripped off and he moved her legs over his shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her folds. Natasha gasped, arching her hips. "Oh…Clint…" she moaned. He slid his tongue along her folds and she gasped again, gripping the pillow up by her head as she moaned again. He loved the noises she made whenever he made love to her with his tongue. "Yes…just like that…" she whimpered. Clint continued to slide his tongue up and down her, enjoying the sounds she was making. "Clint," she moaned. He knew she was getting close and moved his tongue even faster. She arched her back, letting out a gasp.

When she came around his tongue, he moved back above her, resting his arms up by her head as he hovered over her. Natasha looked up at him breathlessly, her fingers tracing the bruise on his chest from Loki's scepter. She kissed him deeply, her arms going around his neck. Clint kissed her back as she moved her legs around his hips, moaning as he sheathed himself inside her. They fit so perfectly every time that it sent chills up her back. She rested her forehead against his jaw, moaning when they started their pace. "Natasha," he whispered huskily in her ear that made her gasp softly.

"Clint," she whispered.

His hand rested on her lower back when she cried out softly. It only spurred him to keep going. He laced his fingers with hers, holding their hands above their heads. Natasha moved her hips in time with his, moving her legs around his hips. He nipped at her ear, making her moan and smirk a little. Clint kissed his way back to her lips, kissing her deeply. She kissed him back, they moaned into each other's mouths as the pleasure mounted. They were getting close to their climaxes and it only spurred them to go faster. The mattress began to creak in protest from their movements. They cried out as they climaxed together. He went to collapse onto the side, but she kept him on top of her.

They stared at each other as she moved her fingers through his sweat, damp hair. They kissed once…twice…three times before he moved so he was still lying on her. His head resting on her chest as Natasha moved her fingers through his hair and down his back as they both basked in the afterglow of their intense lovemaking. He closed his eyes as for the first time in days his body began to relax as he listened to his wife's heartbeat.

The next morning, they showered together and got dressed to meet up with the team. Natasha was drying her hair when her husband pulled on his shirt, searching for his boots. She smiled a little as she watched him in the mirror. She loved these mornings, when words didn't need to be said. Walking over, his hand rested over her hip as he pressed a kiss to her neck. He let her go as they wordlessly left their quarters.

They arrived at central park, Clint was relieved to see Loki standing there all covered in chains. Natasha leaned forward. "Why don't we head to our special place when we're done here?" she whispered. Clint smirked as his answer. They watched as Thor and Loki disappeared. Natasha grabbed Bruce's bag from the back of the car, handing it to him. Clint got into the car first followed by his wife and then they sped off down the street.

Several hours later, Clint got out of the car as he walked over to a man and paid him. He handed Natasha her helmet as he gestured to the two four wheelers that were waiting for them. "I'd rather share with you this time," she told him.

"Yeah?" he said smiling.

He got on first and she sat behind him, her arms around his waist. He revved the four-wheeler and sped down the dirt trail. It had rained recently so they were kicking up some mud.

They reached their destination at last, it was a cabin that overlooked a lake in Colorado. Natasha pulled off her helmet, letting out a deep breath as she looked at the lake. "It's so beautiful out here," she commented.

"Kind of makes you forget the world up here," He answered.

The door to the cabin opened. "DADDY!" Gabrielle shouted, "MOMMY!"

"Hey, sweetheart!" Clint said smiling, lifting Gabrielle up into his arms.

He pulled Nikolai into his free arm. "Hey, buddy," he said smiling, kissing the top of his head. Natasha joined the embrace as her children hugged her.

"They practically had their noses pressed against the window," Laura commented, making them laugh.

"Thanks for bringing them up here," Natasha told her.

"What are friends for?" Laura answered, hugging her.

Clint hugged Laura with a smile. "Thanks," He told her.

"No problem," she answered, "You guys have a good vacation."

They waved as she got on her own four-wheeler, driving back down the hill.

Later on, Clint and Nikolai were walking through the woods. "Remember, keep low and keep quiet," he told his son.

"Right," Nikolai answered.

Clint ruffled up his son's hair as they went over to their normal hunting spot. Nikolai crouched down in the trees as his dad put apples out for the elk and deer. He walked back over to his son as they sat down. Nikolai smiled as they sat silently waiting. "Dad," Nikolai said quietly.

"Yeah, buddy," Clint answered.

"I know what you and mom were doing. You were in New York weren't you?" Nikolai asked.

Clint looked at him. "That's not stuff for you to worry about, okay?" he answered. Nikolai nodded his head slowly, leaning against his dad.

After getting their dinner and doing what they could with it that night, Clint and Natasha put their kids to bed. Clint smiled as they kissed their children goodnight before leaving the room with his wife. "Your son is proud," she commented.

"I'm proud of him, kid got his first four pointer," Clint answered.

"I think he just likes that his dad is teaching him how to use a bow," Natasha told him.

Clint smiled a little. "I enjoyed that part too," he answered. Suddenly, Natasha walked outside. He followed behind her curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, since we're here. We've got our own hot spring don't we?" she asked with a smirk.

Her husband smiled a little wider as he closed the door to the house and made sure the alarm was on. "Why yes, I think we do," he answered as Natasha walked down the hill. He followed down the hill after her, going through the trees. This was where they spent their honeymoon, in this remote cabin in the middle of nowhere in the Colorado mountains. They had come across this hot spring and it became their secret spot ever since. "I think the last time we were here, this is how Gabby happened," he quipped as he pulled off his jacket.

"And Nik," she answered as she took off her shirt.

She pulled off her pants, revealing the black laced thong she had on underneath. He groaned as his pants felt a little tighter. Natasha smirked as she undid her bra, tossing it on the ground and her thong was off soon afterwards as she got in the water. Clint pulled off his clothes, getting in the water with her. She playfully splashed, making him laugh. "You little minx," he told her, pulling her close, pulling them both underwater. They resurfaced, gasping for air, but then they were laughing acting like a couple of teenagers.

Natasha smiled as she moved her legs around his hips, her arms around his neck. Clint pushed the hair from her eyes as they stared at each other. "Can't we just spend the rest of our lives together here?" he asked, "Just grow old right here." She smiled a little.

"When we're done being heroes," she answered.

Clint stroked her jaw lightly. "Then I better make the best of my time with my wife," he murmured before kissing her deeply. Natasha kissed him back, moaning as he pulled her closer to him if it were possible.

After making love, they were using their clothes to cover themselves as they stared up at the stars. Clint held his wife close, his thumb tracing circles into her shoulder. Natasha looked at the bruise in the shape of teeth on his arm. "Where do we go from here?" she asked.

"I don't know, thinking taking you back into our room and just fucking you into the mattress," he answered, making her laugh.

Natasha smacked his chest. "You know what I mean," she answered. Clint stroked her cheek and let out a sigh.

"We do what we have done for the last several years, babe. We fight, we bleed, but then we come back and we're Clint and Natasha Barton," he told her.

"You sound quite sick of the life," she answered.

He let out a sigh. "Well, I'm forty, I've been doing this job since I was eighteen," He murmured.

"Yet you don't look any older than thirty," she answered, kissing his chest.

Clint chuckled lightly. "I don't know, maybe you're right. I've been a spy since I was six. I'm twenty-eight now," she murmured.

"Maybe we should think about early retirement," he commented, making her laugh.

"Maybe someday, but now not," she answered, kissing him.

Clint kissed her back, holding her close. He pulled her close before moving her onto her back.


	4. Separation

Chapter 4: Separation

Clint woke up with a gasp, sitting up. Natasha's screams filled his head. "Clint?" Natasha called out quietly as she sat up, her arms moving around him. "Talk to me," she whispered. Clint let out a deep breath.

"I killed you," he answered.

Natasha stroked his cheek lightly. "I was…strangling you. I had your arms and legs tied…" he told her. Natasha hushed him softly, stroking his cheek.

"I'm right here," she assured him softly.

Clint pressed a kiss to her neck, holding her close. "I'm right here," she whispered. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, moving her hand over his back. She pressed a kiss to his lips as she pushed him back onto the bed.

Two weeks later, Natasha was in the bathroom getting ready to go. "Fury doesn't want you back in the field," she told her husband.

"I know, I don't want to be back in right now," he replied.

Natasha rested her hands on his chest. "You going to be okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be a soccer dad for a while," he answered.

Natasha kissed his chest, moving her hands over his sides. She stood up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his throat. Clint pressed a kiss to her shoulder as he held her close. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you more," He answered.

He kissed the top of her head, rubbing her back with a sigh. "Take care of our babies,' she whispered.

"Always," he answered.

He kissed her once more before she left.

 **(Two Years Later)**

Natasha was lying awake in her quarters, a cold rag resting over her eyes. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She had a huge migraine and of course this would be when her husband would decide to be semi-retired. Her cell phone started to ring, signaling to her that it was her facetime app. She sat up, grabbing her phone. She smiled when she saw her husband's face. "You finally learned how to use it," she quipped.

"Ah ha, you're hilarious babe," he answered, making her smile.

Natasha gave him a soft smile as she leaned against the wall. "You okay?" he asked, "You look pale."

"Just one of my migraines I get once in a while," she replied.

Clint nodded his head slowly. Once in a while she would get a massive migraine from her years in the Red Room, because of the medical testing and abuse she had endured. "I wish you were here," she murmured.

"I think I left some of your migraine medicine in the medicine cabinet," he answered.

Natasha gave him a soft smile. "How are the babies?" she asked.

"Asking for their momma," he answered.

"Is that mommy?" Gabrielle asked.

Clint crouched down and the five-year-old gasped. "Mommy!" she said excitedly. Natasha smiled.

"Hey, Ladybug," she answered.

"Momma, daddy took me on a four-wheeler ride," Gabrielle said excitedly.

"He did?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, and look!" Gabrielle told her.

She held up a pinecone. "For our Christmas tree!" Gabrielle said excitedly. Natasha couldn't help but feel grateful that Clint is able to keep the children occupied while they were apart. Pinecones was a tradition they started when Nikolai was born. They would find pinecones in the woods and they would take them back where Natasha would clean them off so not to get sap everywhere then the kids would decorate them. "And look, momma," Gabrielle told her. She held up four more already decorated pinecones. The first two had a blue one and a pink one to represent Gabrielle and Nikolai's first Christmas. The other two had little arrows glued to the ends and the black widow symbol on the other.

"You found them," Natasha said smiling.

"Ah huh! Nik did," Gabrielle said excitedly.

Gabrielle then frowned a little. "Momma, will you be home to decorate the pinecones this year?" she asked. Natasha looked at her daughter.

"I'm going to try so hard, sweetheart," she answered.

She saw Gabrielle's face fall slightly and it broke her heart. "I love you so much," she told her daughter.

"I love you, momma," Gabrielle answered, "I'm going to go play now."

Clint looked at his wife as he held the phone back up. "My daughter hates me," she told her husband.

"Impossible," he answered.

He let out a sigh. "They just miss you," he answered.

"Makes you rethink the whole job," she murmured.

Clint nodded his head slowly. "I have to go, I have to go meet with Fury," she told him.

"Okay," he answered.

"I love you," she murmured.

"I love you more."

They hung up and Natasha went to talk to Fury.

Later on, she drove up to the park to see Steve standing by a tree talking to someone. "Hey, fellas," she called out. She smirked. "Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil," she called out. Steve walked over to the car.

"That's hilarious," Steve told her as he got in.

The guy stood by the car. "Hey," he said smiling.

"Hi," Natasha answered.

After Steve's quick banter with the man, she sped off down the road while telling Steve their mission.

 **(Indian Ocean)**

Natasha stared at the screen as Rumlow was explaining the mission. Afterwards, Steve walked over to the back of the jet while Natasha was grabbing her parachute. "Secure channel 7," Steve told Natasha.

"7 secure," she answered, pushing her hair from her eyes.

She started to unstrap the parachute. "You doing anything fun Saturday night?" she asked.

"Well all the guys from my barber shop quartet are dead, so no, not really," he replied.

Natasha gave him a smirk. "You know, if you ask Kristen out from statistics she'll probably say 'yes'," she commented.

"That's why I don't ask," he answered as the door opened.

"Too shy or too scared?" she asked.

"Too busy!" he answered before jumping.

Natasha smiled, shaking her head slowly. She made sure no one was watching before she held her wedding ring up to her lips, kissing it before stuffing it back into her shirt. "Romanoff, let's go," Rumlow called out.

"Coming," she answered.

She strapped her parachute on before they jumped out of the back of the jet.

When she landed on the ship, she immediately removed her parachute as she walked beside Steve. "What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kinda nice," she commented.

"Secure the engine room THEN find me a date," Steve told her.

"I'm multitasking," she answered before she jumped over the rail.

Natasha jumped down into the engine room quietly, going over to one of the guards. "Natasha, what's your status?" Steve asked. She tried to ignore him so she could take out the guard. "Natasha?" he called out.

"Hang on!" she snapped into her walkie before she jumped one guard, using her widow bites to shock him into unconsciousness.

After fighting several guards, she held her wrist back up. "Engine room secure," she told Steve before she grabbed a metal pipe and hit a still conscious guard in the head with it before walking away.

Finding the control room, she immediately started hacking into the system. She could hear Steve calling to her, but was ignoring him. She had her own mission to do. Steve and Batroc came crashing through the control room. "Well this is awkward," she commented. She looked over at Steve with a smirk before she continued with her work.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

"Backing up the hard drive it's a good habit to get into," she replied.

"Rumlow needed your help, what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Steve looked at the screen. "You're saving SHIELD intel…" he muttered.

"Whatever I can get my hands on," she answered.

" _Our_ mission was to rescue hostages," Steve snapped.

"No that was _your_ mission," she answered, removing the disk from the computer, "And you've done it beautifully."

She went to walk away when Steve grabbed her arm. "You just jeopardized this whole operation," he snapped.

"That's overstating things," she answered.

Suddenly, Batroc got up and threw something at them. Steve blocked it with his shield and it was a grenade. Steve grabbed Natasha by the waist as he jumped from one desk to another while she shot out one of the windows. They just made it through when the grenade went off. Natasha leaned against the wall, letting out a deep breath. "Okay…that was on me," she told him.

"You're damn right," Steve snapped before he went to catch up with Batroc.

 **(Barton Home: Two Days Later)**

Clint was getting the kids ready for school. "Daddy, can I take my bunny to school?" Gabrielle asked.

"No, because last time you took it to school you came home crying because a boy ripped one of the ears off," he replied, "Nik! Let's go!"

Nikolai ran down the stairs. "Let's go, let's go," Clint told the kids as he rushed them out of the door.

Driving up the school, he got Nikolai out first, hugging the boy. "Dad," the eleven-year-old groaned, making his dad smile.

"I'll pick you up from basketball practice," he told his son.

Nikolai nodded before he grabbed his lunch bag from his dad. "See you later, buddy!" Clint called out as the boy ran inside. He got Gabrielle out of the car to get her into her kindergarten classroom when his phone rang. "Hello?" he answered, not checking the caller ID.

"Agent Barton?" a familiar voice asked.

Clint frowned as he crouched down beside his daughter. "I'll see you later, Ladybug," he told his daughter.

"Bye, bye daddy," Gabrielle answered, hugging him tightly.

Clint kissed her cheek before she went to join her friends. "It's not Agent anymore, I retired two years ago, what do you want, Hill?" he asked as he got into his car.

"Something's happened, Barton," Maria answered.

"What's going on?" Clint asked.

Maria was silent on her end for a minute. "Fury's…Fury's dead," she answered. Clint slammed on the brakes, pulling off to the side of the road.

"What?" he asked.

"Someone's killed him, and now SHIELD is hunting Steve. They told us he's associated to the murder somehow," Maria answered.

"I don't believe that and I don't think you're calling me just to tell me that. How about you stop fucking lying to me?" Clint demanded.

Maria let out a deep breath. "Natasha's been linked to it as well, SHIELD has her on their kill list," she answered. Clint frowned as his blood ran ice cold in his veins.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"I don't know, she and Steve disappeared off the grid," Maria replied.

"Dammit!" Clint hissed.

"Sitwell wants you to come in, Clint, he wants you to track them," she answered.

Clint frowned. "He wants me to track my own wife?" he asked.

"Only a few people know about that and one of them is dead," Maria replied.

The former agent sat back in his seat, looking at his wedding ring. "I think you should come in, try to find them. At least warn them, because if SHIELD gets a hold of them…" she started to say.

"They're as good as dead," he answered.

He let out a deep breath as he threw his car into drive, speeding back down the road. "Give me an hour," he told her before hanging up.

 **(SHIELD Headquarters: Two Hours Later)**

Clint walked in, dressed in his SHIELD gear. "Sorry to pull you out of retirement," Sitwell told him.

"What's going on?" Clint asked, wanting to get to the point.

"The last time they were spotted was at this mall here," he answered, "We need you to look for where they would go next."

Clint looked at the security footage of the mall. "Why would you think Natasha and Steve art part of this?" he asked.

"Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff are hiding something, they know something," Sitwell answered, "I know you and Agent Romanoff were partners for years, but she is possibly a traitor. We need you to track her."

"Why do you think I would do that?" Clint asked, "I know, Natasha, she wouldn't betray SHIELD."

"If you don't do it, then you will be seen as associated with their plans," Sitwell answered.

Clint looked over at him. "Are you blackmailing me, Sitwell?" he asked.

"Call it a warning," Sitwell answered before walking away.

Clint cursed under his breath before leaving to find his wife and friend.


	5. A Warning

Chapter 5: A Warning

It took hours, but Clint was catching up to them. When he saw Steve, he chased Captain America through the alleys. Steve jumped over the fence easily as Clint climbed up it and jumped from the top.

Clint ran around a corner but stopped. Steve was gone. Suddenly, he was jumped from behind and Steve threw him to the ground. Clint rolled to his feet, escaping a kick aimed for his chest.

Natasha could hear a scuffle, running in that direction. She skid to a stop when she saw Steve pinning Clint to the ground, his hand around his throat. "STEVE, DON'T!" she shouted. She ran over, grabbing his arm. "Steve! Don't kill him! DON'T!" she exclaimed.

"He's tracking us!" Steve snapped.

"DON'T!" Natasha screamed, "GET OFF!"

Natasha took her gun, aiming it at his head. "Let him go!" she snapped. Steve reluctantly let Clint go, the archer rolled on his side gasping for air as Natasha dropped to her knees besides her husband.

"Steve," Clint coughed out, "I came here to warn you."

He rolled onto his back, looking up at Steve. "I came to warn you," he told Steve. He pushed Natasha away. "You need to get out of here, Nat, both of you," he insisted, "They're coming."

"How do they know where we are?" Steve asked.

Clint reached into his belt, pulling out his knife. He stood up and walked over to Steve with it. Before Steve could react, he cut the lining of his jacket and removed a tracking device. "This is how they're finding you," he told them as he stomped the device out, "You need to get out of here, you have two minutes."

"What about you?" Natasha asked.

"Don't worry about me, I just got my ass kicked by Captain America, they'll believe that," he answered.

Steve nodded as he and Clint shook hands. Natasha looked at Clint. "Natasha, let's go," Steve called out. Natasha gripped Clint's arm, resting her forehead against his jaw. He rested his hand on the middle of her back, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Stay safe," he whispered into her hair.

"I love you," she answered quietly into his chest.

"I love you more," he murmured, "Now go, I'll find you again."

Natasha reluctantly let him go, rushing by Steve. "Give me your best shot, Cap," Clint told him, "And you take care of her for me." Steve gave him a nod.

"You have my word," Steve answered before he reared back and punched Clint in the face, sending the archer to the ground.

Steve grabbed Natasha's arm as they ran through the backstreets together. "Want to tell me what that was about?" Steve asked.

"What does it look like to you?" was her only answer.

"Do you two…you know," Steve trailed off.

Natasha glanced at him. "What Clint and I have, is hard to explain," she answered, "But what we have is special and kind of against the rules."

"Against the rules?" Steve asked.

"No fraternization between SHIELD Agents on the same tea,," she answered simply, "Makes it easier to do missions like he and I used to do. We make it work though."

"Is that why you hold that necklace close?" Steve asked.

Natasha gave the Captain a smirk. "Call it an anniversary present," she replied before they disappeared around a corner.

 **(Highway: Hours Later)**

Natasha was hiding after leaving her recorder to trick the Winter Soldier that she was behind another car. Just as he blew it up, she jumped out of her hiding place jumping on his back and tried to strangle him with her piano wire. He blocked the attack, backing up against a car. He grabbed her leg, throwing her across the street and into another car. Thinking quickly, she threw one of her widow bites, shocking him. It gave her enough time to get away.

Natasha ran around the corner. "GET OUT OF THE WAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" she screamed at civilians. Suddenly, she felt the familiar sharp pain go through her shoulder. The pain literally brought her to her knees. Fear coursed through her as she backed up against the car in the attempt to hide as she clutched her shoulder. She heard someone jump on a car. Looking over, she saw the Winter Soldier there with his gun raised. She saw Steve run up, the Winter Soldier when the enemy swung around and punched his shield, it rang out like a bell. Natasha groaned in pain as she tried to climb to her feet. She felt for her neck when she realized her chain was missing from her neck. She searched the ground, half in shock from the attack. She found her wedding ring, she grabbed it off the ground and stuffed it in her jacket pocket.

She was able to grab the discarded grenade gun, firing a shot when he was going to shoot a stunned Steve. She leaned against the van in pain. The SHIELD Agents swarmed them, they shoved her to the ground handcuffing her.

In the van, Natasha was in and out of consciousness. "We need to put pressure on it," Sam told them, "If we don't she's going to bleed out." The guard aimed a tazer at them, but then they knocked out the guard next to them. The person reached up to remove their helmet.

"That thing was squashing my brain," Maria muttered.

She looked over at Sam. "Who is this guy?" she asked.

"A friend," Steve answered.

The second guard by Steve removed their helmet, revealing Clint. "Nat," he murmured as he crouched in front of her, "Talk to me." She stared at Clint with blurry eyes. She reached up, her hand resting on his chest.

"Am I dead?" she asked.

"Then this is one fucked up version of heaven," Clint quipped.

He pulled her jacket back. "Hill, let's go," he told her as he slid his arm under Natasha's knees as her free arm went around his neck. Maria carved a hole into the bottom of the truck which carved a hole into the concrete. "Hang on tight," he told Natasha before jumping down the hole.

Clint walked through the sewers with the others behind him. "Thought you and the redhead had a thing?" Sam asked.

"No, just a friend," Steve answered.

Clint pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't close your eyes baby, don't close your eyes," he whispered.

"I feel lightheaded," she answered.

"I know, we're almost there," he told her.

Steve climbed up first, pushing the sewer grate open. He helped Clint up and he went up to their secret base. Maria pulled open the door. "I need medics!" Clint immediately called out.

"She's lost at least a pint!" Maria put in.

"More like two," Sam answered.

A doctor ran up. "I'll take her," he answered.

"She'll want to see him first," Maria told them.

Natasha was confused as Clint carried her down the hall. "Get some blood stat," the doctor told another medic. Maria pushed back the curtain to reveal Fury, still alive.

"About damn time," Fury told them.

Clint set his wife down, removing her jacket. "Is she allergic to anything?" the doctor asked.

"No," Clint replied.

"What's her blood type?" the doctor asked.

"B positive," he replied.

"Is there a possibility of her being pregnant?" the doctor asked.

Clint pushed the hair from his wife's eyes. "Nat, I need you to focus for a second," he told her as Natasha looked up at him, "Is there a possibility you're pregnant?" Natasha focused and then she remembered the morning of Fury's "death".

"Oh God…" she whispered.

Clint lifted Natasha up. "We need to move her into a private room," he told the doctor. He nodded as they left the room.

Clint placed her on a bed as the doctor got her bleeding to stop. "Oh God what did I do?" she asked with wide eyes. He hushed her softly, stroking her hair from her eyes. The doctor brought the ultrasound machine over.

"Lift her shirt please," he instructed Clint.

The former SHIELD Agent pushed her shirt up as Clint stroked his wife's cheek as the nurse went to get her ready for a blood transfusion. Natasha suddenly heard a familiar sound. She looked over and was relieved to hear a heartbeat. Clint smiled as he held her hand in his, kissing her ring finger. "Everything seems to be alright, considering the trauma you had just been through," he commented. Natasha sighed in relief as tears welled up in her eyes. Clint kissed her forehead tenderly then her lips. She reached up, her hand resting on the back of his neck.

Later on, the two of them sat side by side as they talked about taking out Hydra's Helicarriers with computer chips. "I don't want Natasha in the field," Clint said suddenly.

"Clint," Natasha told him.

"No, it's too dangerous," he answered.

Natasha frowned. "I have a better plan for Romanoff, you don't need to worry about her, Barton," Fury answered. Fury looked over at him. "And I'm going to need you to be with her," he added. Clint rested his hand on Natasha's knee. She reached under the table, gripping his hand tightly.

"What do we do?" Clint asked.

 **(SHIELD Headquarters)**

Clint was disguised as Councilman Rockwell while Natasha was disguised as Councilwoman Hawley. They took the badges Pierce had handed them. The two of them shared a glance before they went inside.

Later on, they had heard Steve explain that Hydra was in control. Then they watched an explosion where their team was attacking the base. Clint angrily listened to Alexander Pierce try to explain his reasons for their program. When no one from the original council would agree to their ways, they saw the guards hold up the guns. Clint immediately grabbed one guard by the arm, twisting it, throwing him onto the wall. He grabbed another guard, snapping his neck as if it were nothing but a twig while Natasha took out the others. Clint grabbed a gun, holding it up. "I'm sorry," Natasha told Pierce as she removed her wig after they both removed their masks. Clint removed his wig, tossing it to the floor. "Did we step on your moment?" she asked.

Natasha walked over to the computer as Clint held up his gun while he handed the other two councilmen guns of their own. "What is she doing?" Councilman Yen asked.

"She's taking all of SHIELD's secrets and dumping them on the internet," Pierce answered.

"And Hydra's," Natasha told him.

"If you do this none of your past will be kept secret. Nothing will be kept secret, not Sao Paulo, not Budapest," Pierce told her.

He looked at the two agents. "None of your secrets will be kept safe anymore, are you willing to reveal to the world who you really are?" he asked.

"Are you?" Natasha asked, looking at Pierce.

"What about you, Barton? You ready for the world to see your secrets?" Pierce asked.

"I have nothing to hide anymore," Clint answered simply.

"Not that you went to trial for bringing an enemy of the country into SHIELD?" Pierce asked.

"Well, speaking the charges were dropped and I married the woman, it all seems theoretical now isn't it?" Clint asked.

Clint looked at Natasha who gave him a smile. "That's not on record," Councilman Singh stated.

"We asked it not to be to protect ourselves," Natasha answered simply.

"You can't completely open the files without two superiors," Pierce stated.

"Don't worry, I'm expecting company," she answered.

They looked over as Fury's helicopter landed and he walked into the office. After they forcefully made Pierce grant access to the files, everything was put on the internet. Suddenly, the other two councilmen screamed in pain as they were electrocuted. Both Clint and Natasha grabbed for their guns. "Unless you two want two inch holes in your sternums put the guns down," Pierce ordered. They froze. "Those were armed the minute you pinned them on," he added.

Clint moved his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her to him as Natasha moved her arm around his back. "You know, you two have always been a pain in my ass," he stated.

"You were willing to kill a woman than help her," Clint answered, "You hated the fact that I fought for her freedom."

Pierce gave him a glare.

When the Helicarriers were destroyed, Pierce held his gun up to them. "Councilwoman, Councilman, if you would please follow me," he told them. Clint reluctantly followed the councilman when Natasha suddenly let out a gasp and fell to the ground.

"Nat!" Clint exclaimed, catching her in his arms.

Pierce looked at his phone to check the badge, but he saw that it was still armed. He looked up as Fury fired three shots, every single one hitting him in the chest. It sent him through the glass computer screen. Clint touched her cheek. "Natasha, Natasha, Nat, come on baby wake up. Come on," he said softly. Natasha opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"Everyone's right, these really do sting," she commented, opening her hand to reveal a widow bite.

Clint laughed a little, resting his forehead against hers. "Come on, we need to leave," Fury told them. Clint helped her up as they left Headquarters.

After their escape, Clint was sitting with Natasha again in the doctor's office to get checked while Steve was in surgery. "Everything seems to be alright," the doctor commented, "Again you're lucky with a gunshot wound and one of your widow bites your baby's going to be fine."

"Kid's a Barton and a Romanoff," Clint commented.

"Dying's not an option in this family," she quipped.

Clint stroked her cheek, kissing her hand. "Clint…" she murmured.

"Yeah," he answered.

"I want to go home," she murmured.

He nodded his head slowly. "And I mean…tell the team that I went with Fury to stop the rest of Hydra," she said softly. He rested his hand on her stomach. "I want to keep our babies safe," she whispered.

"You've got it," he answered, "Guess I'm coming out of retirement."

She laughed a little, wrapping her arm around his neck.


	6. Secrets, Secrets, Secrets

Chapter 6: Secrets, Secrets, Secrets

Natasha woke up to her unborn son kicking her. "Come on, Monkey, can you stop kicking me for just a little while so I can sleep?" she asked tiredly.

"MOMMY, MOMMY!" Gabrielle shouted, running into the bedroom.

Natasha laughed as Gabrielle crawled into bed. "Mommy, I want waffles please," the six-year-old insisted.

"Oh you do huh?" she asked, smiling.

Natasha stroked her daughter's cheek. "Mommy, when's daddy coming home?" she asked.

"Soon, Ladybug," she replied.

 **(Sokovia)**

Clint was hiding behind a tree. "Loki's scepter must be here, at long last," Thor stated.

"Well, I think we've lost the element of surprise," Clint answered.

"We could use Romanoff at this point," Tony commented.

"If only she didn't have a mission of her own," Clint answered before firing another arrow.

Clint went to take out another bunker. He let out a deep breath as he leaned against the tree, waiting for his moment. Taking an arrow, he tried to fire it at the bunker, but something came out of nowhere and stopped it. "What the hell?" he thought. He went to aim another arrow when he was knocked off his feet and thrown to the ground. Clint let out a groan, sitting up to see a kid walking by him.

"You didn't see that coming?" he sneered before running off.

Clint stood up, holding up his arrow at the kid, but then he hesitated. It was just a kid. Suddenly, he felt a hot, searing pain go through his body making him hit the ground with a groan. He held his side, fighting the shock he was going in. "Guys, I've been hit," he told them, looking at his side, "I've been hit badly." The gunfire kept coming when he heard a roar and the Hulk broke through the bunker. Clint fought against the pain in his body when the Hulk rushed over, staring down at him.

"Friend…hurt," the Hulk stated upset.

The Hulk reached down, picking Clint up like he was a fragile doll, running back to the jet. He placed Clint on the stretcher when Thor walked in. "Thank you, my friend," he told the Hulk who then left as Banner was coming back. Thor walked over to Clint, putting his hammer down. "You will be alright," Thor assured him.

"I've been through worse," Clint answered as Thor grabbed an IV bag.

Clint closed his eyes, feeling a little sick from the blood he lost. "Damn, doesn't mean this doesn't hurt like a bitch," he added.

When the team returned, they immediately went back towards Avengers Tower. Bruce walked over, checking Clint's side. Clint knew the man was brooding over the fact he had to be the Other Guy. "Hey, the Hulk saved my life, I'm forever in his debt," Clint told Bruce.

"You guys give him too much credit," Bruce answered, "You should be alright until we get you back to the tower."

Clint nodded as Bruce walked away.

Arriving at the tower, Clint was lying on his side as Dr. Cho's machine started to graph new skin onto his injury. "You'll look good for your girlfriend in no time," Dr. Cho told him.

"I don't have a girlfriend," Clint answered.

"Well that I can't fix," Dr. Cho stated as she walked by him.

"How are you feeling, Barton?" Steve asked.

"Awesome," he replied sarcastically.

Steve grinned a little. "How's Natasha? Have you heard from her?" he asked.

"Same old shit, different day in this business," Clint replied.

"Is she alright?" Steve asked.

"You know, Steve, I appreciate you watching out for my woman, but I don't share" he quipped.

Steve laughed, patting his shoulder before leaving.

 **(Three Days Later)**

At the party, Clint was drinking a beer when Steve walked up. "Would've thought Natasha would've been here to see Thor off," Steve commented.

"Yeah, she sends her regards though," Clint answered.

Steve glanced at him. "You know, Clint, you shouldn't wait too long," he commented.

"What do you mean?" Clint asked.

"On your relationship with Natasha. You shouldn't wait too long, not with how we live in this life," Steve answered, "Take it from a guy who waited too long to be with his girl."

Clint grabbed another beer out of the bar. "I saw the way she looked at you, what you guys have is real," he stated.

"Glad you noticed, Cap," Clint answered with a smirk as he popped the top off his beer, "What Nat and I have is rare."

"Then you shouldn't wait," Steve answered.

Clint gave his friend a smile. "Don't worry about that," he assured him. Steve grinned as he walked away. The archer let out a deep breath, thinking about his wife and his children.

After fighting with Ultron, Clint was listening to them talk about his programming. "It's possible that Ultron knows things about us that none of us know about," Maria commented. The thought made Clint freeze. Could it be possible that Ultron knew about Natasha? The kids? Even though they were off official records, there were small newspaper clips in the news in Iowa. Their engagement announcement, their marriage announcement. Of course birth announcements, none of their pictures were shown, but their names were there.

"You meddled in something you didn't understand," Thor told Tony.

Steve watched as Clint left the room suddenly, frowning.

Clint walked through the halls, flipping open his cell phone. "Come on, baby, pick up," he whispered.

"Hello?" Natasha answered.

"Hey, you guys ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, what's going on?" she asked.

Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tony fucked up, Nat. He fucked up big time," He told her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I just needed to talk to you, baby, hear your voice," he answered.

"How does this sound? I love you," she told him.

"I love you more," he answered.

"Barton," Steve called out.

"Gotta go," Clint answered, hanging up.

"Who was that?" Steve asked.

"Nat, she's okay," Clint answered.

Clint let out a deep breath, walking away after that.

After trying to fight both Ultron and the twins, Clint decided it was time to fly everyone to his safe house. He smiled at the idea of seeing his wife and children. He couldn't wait to see them.

When he landed the jet into the woods, he got out and led his friends up the dirt road. "What is this place?" Thor asked.

"A safe house," Tony replied.

"Let's hope," Clint told them as he opened the door.

He walked through the front door. "Honey, I'm home," he called out. The team froze when Natasha walked out wearing one of Clint's plaid shirts, a pair of blue jeans, and black ballet flats. "Hi, company, sorry I didn't call ahead," Clint told her. Natasha smiled as she rested her hands on his neck.

"Hi," was her only answer, kissing him.

Clint kissed her back, hugging her close to him. "This is some sort of undercover operation," Tony insisted. The archer stood beside his wife, his hand resting on her stomach.

"It's good to see you guys," Natasha told them, smiling.

Tony waved awkwardly when they heard footsteps running down the stairs. "Oh boy, incoming," Clint said smiling. Het let Natasha go, who smiled at him as Gabrielle and Nikolai ran around the corner.

"Daddy!" Gabrielle said excitedly, reaching for him.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Clint said smiling, lifting her up, and wrapped his arm around Nikolai, "Hey, buddy!"

He kissed the top of his son's head. "How are you guys doing?" he asked. Steve was staring in disbelief, suddenly feeling foolish with giving Clint advice.

"Those are…smaller agents," Tony insisted.

"Look at your face! Oh my goodness," Clint said as he kissed both of his children, setting Gabrielle down.

"Wow, so this was more than a partnership," Tony commented.

Natasha moved her arm around her husband's waist. "About thirteen years behind, Stark," she quipped as her husband pulled her close.

"So the mission you were supposed to be on…" Steve trailed off.

"It's a mission," Natasha answered as she put her hands under her stomach to make her bump more pronounced.

Clint smiled as he rested his hand over her stomach. "It's a Barton/Romanoff, trust me, it's a mission," she added. He kissed her cheek.

"So when you were working for me…" Tony started to say.

"You're lucky my wife can handle herself," Clint answered, "Our son was five at the time."

"Then I had our daughter a year later," Natasha said with a smile.

She let out a deep breath. "Well, let's get you guys settled in," she told them.

Clint went upstairs to get showered and changed.

Natasha was getting the kids settled when she felt the baby kick. "Do you know what it is?" Bruce asked. She rested her hands on her stomach.

"It's a boy," she said smiling, "Clint's going to be somewhat disappointed he wanted another girl."

"That's kind of surprising," Bruce commented.

"Gabby has him wrapped around her little finger," she answered.

She sat down with a sigh. "You guys hid your secret well," he commented.

"We have to, it was to protect the children," she answered.

Bruce looked at the wedding picture of them on the wall. They looked like they were on a beach somewhere. Clint had Natasha dipped back and he had pressed a kiss to her throat as her hand rested on the back of her neck. "That was our official wedding in Tahiti. We actually exchanged vows in Budapest," Natasha said with a smirk. She suddenly stood up. "Clint told me what happened in Sokovia, what you did," she told him.

"Well, the Other Guy, did it," he answered.

Natasha hugged him tightly. "You saved my husband's life," she told him.

"It was nothing," he answered.

She pulled back. "It wasn't nothing, you saved his life. You brought him home to us," she insisted. She kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered before leaving.

Going upstairs, she found her husband changing. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"What's it look like?" he asked.

She pushed him back on the bed, making him laugh when she straddled his sides. "You scared the hell out of me, don't start a phone call with the words 'Are you okay?'," she told him, nipping at his bottom lip. He chuckled softly as he looked up at her. "And not only that, Steve keeps me updated about your health, let me see," she told him.

She looked for the side that was injured. Clint took her hand, resting it over the side Dr. Cho fixed. "See, you can't feel a difference can you?" he asked. Natasha kissed him deeply, her fingers moving over the side.

"I can feel the difference," she answered, kissing his chin and then his throat.

Clint chuckled as his wife let him up. "Tonight you'll learn your lesson," she told him.

"I've been bad," he answered, jumping when she playfully squeezed his ass.

"Well with the lack of space in this house people are going to have to double up," she told him.

"We'll see how that works," he answered.

Natasha kissed the back of his shoulder, her arms moving around his torso. Clint kissed her hand as they watched the guys outside. The baby moved around. "I think I'm done after this one though, handsome, I hope you know that," she commented, making him chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm getting too old for babies," he answered, making her smile.

Turning around, he pulled her close and kissed her. Natasha kissed him back, her arms going around his neck.

When evening fell, Clint was playing with the kids. Gabrielle was sitting on Clint's shoulders. They were at the makeshift basketball court Clint had made for Nikolai. "Alright, buddy, we are at HO and you are HOR," he told Nikolai.

"I know, I know," Nikolai answered as he dribbled the ball.

Tony was watching Clint with the kids curiously. Gabrielle let out a shriek when Clint pulled her off his shoulders and started tickling her. He set her down when he grabbed the ball from Nikolai. "THAT'S CHEATING!" Nikolai shouted.

"Get him!" Gabrielle shouted as they chased Clint.

Clint stopped for only a second when both kids tackled him to the ground. He laughed as he grabbed his son, pinning him to the ground to tickle him. "Get off my brother!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

"Get off your brother?" Clint asked as he grabbed Gabrielle, tickling her sides.

Steve watched with a smirk. "Who would've thought it was Barton with the marriage and the kids," Tony commented.

"Why so surprised?" Natasha asked, "Because he's the quiet one of us all?"

She kept her hand on her lower back as she watched as Nikolai was trying to get Gabrielle away from Clint. Her husband got up, holding Gabrielle upside down over his shoulder, tickling her stomach before he set her on the ground, grabbing Nikolai. "He's the happiest when he's home," she told the team, "He wants to be retired, we both do."

"You're quitting?" Tony asked.

"I've been done," she answered, "Since I found out I was pregnant with this little one, I've been done. I don't want my kids waiting for a casket instead of their mother."

Clint picked Nikolai up off the ground, swinging him around in circles. "You guys don't know Clint like I do, the one thing he was afraid of being he's actually the best at. Being a father," she added. The team was curious as Natasha watched her husband with bright eyes.

When night fell, Clint was getting the kids tucked into bed. "I love you guys," he told them.

"Love you dad," they answered in unison.

Clint left the room, turning out the light as he went.

Walking down the hall, he found his wife trying to get comfortable. With the baby she was more uncomfortable than ever during this part of her pregnancy. She still had three months to go. "Maybe I should take out the dining room, turn it into a place for you," he commented. Natasha smiled as he sat beside her on the bed, removing his shirt as he did so. She reached up, her fingers tracing over the scars on his back. Some were from the many fights he had been in. The others were from his nightmarish childhood.

"You can't stop working can you?' she quipped.

Clint pulled off his pants, tossing them on the floor as he moved up beside his wife. She snuggled closer to him, her head on his shoulder. Clint moved his arm around her back as she let out a deep breath. "Talk to me," he murmured.

"I'm thinking we should finally keep our promise to our kids. Take them on a real family vacation," she answered, "After the baby's born. Make happy memories of our own with our kids."

Clint rubbed her back, kissing her forehead as he thought about it. Natasha held him tighter, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. "You better come back to me, Clint Barton, or I'll bring you back to life only to kill you myself," she added.

"Nothing will keep me away, ever," he answered.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you more," he answered.


	7. A Promise to Keep

Chapter 7: A Promise to Keep

The next night, Natasha was cleaning up after dinner as the kids were trying to settle down for the night. "So when you said Clint was afraid of being a father…" Steve trailed off as he leaned against the counter.

"It's what I said, he was afraid of becoming a father," Natasha answered, "It was the one thing he was terrified of becoming."

"That's actually surprising," Steve commented.

"Not when you read into his background, which I'm sure you did," she answered.

She looked over at him. "Clinton Francis Barton, born January 7th, 1971 to Charles and Edith Barton. He had one older brother, Charles "Barney" Barton Jr," Steve told her.

"Well of course you wouldn't read more than that. What you don't know in his files was his father was a mean old drunk, a butcher. Beat his wife and his sons every chance he had. The more his job floundered, the more he beat his family," Natasha explained.

Steve was surprised at her words. "One night, my father came home, drunker than drunk. Caught my mom packing up my brother and me up to go to her sister's in Nebraska," Clint stated as he walked into the kitchen. He took a beer out of the fridge, popping the top off. "My father decided that we should go for a drive. Held a knife up to my brother and me in order for mom to agree," he added, "So we got in the car, my dad floored it. The car was going at least 112 miles per hour down a dirt road. In the rain."

Natasha rested her hand on his shoulder. "He hit a turn gong even faster, he took the corner at 120. Floored it, pushed that piece of shit further than it was able to," he told Steve. Steve just stared at Clint with wide eyes. "We spun, it spun at least three times but to Barney and me, it felt like it went around for an eternity before we hit a tree. Fucker wrapped around the tree completely, split the car right in half," he explained. Natasha rested her head on his shoulder with sadness in her eyes. "My mom had been ejected from the car, you see, when my dad put us in the car. He told mom not to strap us in, my mom signed to us both to buckle our seatbelts. Fucking seatbelts is what kept us alive," he stated solemnly. He took a long drink of his beer. "My mom died for her kids, she made sure we were safe first and because she knew if she put her seatbelt on, dad would've checked on Barney and me to see if we were buckled in," he explained.

Steve had remembered seeing pictures of the car accident. "My dad was trying to murder himself and his family, by making it look like an accident. So ask me again why I didn't want to become a father for so many years," Clint stated before leaving the kitchen.

Natasha rested her hand over her stomach, feeling the baby kick. "What made him change his mind?" Steve asked.

"When he held Nikolai for the first time," she replied.

 **(12 Years Ago)**

 ** _Natasha was holding her newborn son in her arms with a smile on her face. "Welcome to the world Nikolai Francis Barton," she cooed to the newborn. She looked over at her husband to see him staring nervously at the baby in her arms. "He's not going to bite," she commented, "Come here." She sat up as she grabbed his hand with her free arm, pulling him closer._**

 ** _"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he answered._**

 ** _She gave him a soft smile. "You think I do?" she asked, "You just love him." She held the baby up, gently pushing him towards her husband. Nervously, he took the baby into his arms. The newborn shifted and she saw his eyes grow wide. Then they softened._**

 ** _As he stared at the baby in his arms. Then Natasha saw the tears slip down his cheeks. He kissed the baby's forehead tenderly. She pulled him close as he rested his forehead against the side of her head._**

 **(End Flashback)**

Natasha looked at Steve. "Ever since he held our son, he became the greatest father I had ever known," she told him. She watched as Clint sat in the living room, reading to the children like he normally did as they settled down for the night. Gabrielle was already falling asleep with her head resting on Clint's chest. "He's everything to us," she added. She looked at Steve. "He's going to want to finish what he started," she murmured.

"I know," Steve answered.

Natasha hated it when she was pregnant, it made her show her emotions easier. "You need to bring him back to us," she insisted, "We can't live without him." Steve saw the tears well up in her eyes. "I can't live without him. I've been with him since I was seventeen-years-old. I've been his since Moscow," she told Steve as her lower lip shook. She put her hand over her eyes to try to hide her emotions, but it wasn't working. "Please promise me you'll bring him back to us," she told Steve.

"I promise," Steve answered, hugging her, "I promise."

 **(Two Days Later)**

Natasha was standing on the porch as Clint was getting ready to go. "You better come back to me, Barton," she told him, resting her hands on his chest. Clint held her hands in his, kissing the tips tenderly.

"Not even death will keep me from you," he murmured.

She pulled her hands from his, resting her hands on the sides of his neck she kissed him deeply. Clint kissed her back, his arms moving around her back. He pulled back from her lips, kissing her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, and then her mouth once more. She pulled back only to hug him as tight as she could. Clint hugged her back, his hand moving over her back. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you more," he answered.

He let her go, walking to catch up to the others. Natasha wrapped her arms around herself. Just then, the front door flew open and Gabrielle flew out of the house. "Gabrielle!" Natasha called out when the six-year-old ran by her.

"DADDY!" Gabrielle shouted, running after him.

Clint stopped walking when he heard Gabrielle shout for him. Gabrielle was running through the tall grass in her bare feet when he ran up to her, picking her up. "Daddy, I don't want you to go anymore, please don't go," Gabrielle said sobbing. Clint hugged her close, kissing the side of her head.

"I'll be back soon baby," he told her, hugging her tight, "I have to go."

"No," Gabrielle insisted, gripping his vest tighter.

The team just stared at this heartbroken six-year-old that clung to the archer. "I don't want you to fight anymore, daddy, I don't want you to," she said crying. Clint hushed her softly, rubbing her back.

"This is the last time I will go away. I will be home all the time after this is over, I promise," he assured her.

Natasha walked up as her husband walked back towards her. "I need you to be a brave girl one more time, be good for your momma," Clint told Gabrielle, handing her to Natasha. He stroked his daughter's sandy-blond curls with a frown. "And I love you, Gabby, so very much," he told her.

"I love you," Gabrielle answered sniffling.

Steve frowned as he watched as the girl reluctantly let Clint's vest go. This man had more to lose than any of them. Clint walked back towards the team, this time without looking back. He couldn't look back. "Let's go," he muttered to them as they walked to the jet.

Natasha hugged Gabrielle tight as the jet lifted off and flew away. She carried her daughter back to the house with sadness in her eyes.

 **(Fight in Seoul)**

Clint was flying the jet. "Hawkeye, you're being very annoying," Ultron stated as he crashed into the side of Clint's Jet.

"Shit," Clint muttered.

"Think you can protect your wife and your children?" Ultron asked.

"You leave my family alone you piece of trash," Clint answered.

Clint tried to fire shots at the android when it grabbed the wing of his jet.

Steve looked up as Clint was trying to fight Ultron with the jet. "Clint! Ge the casket out of here!" he called out.

"I'm a little busy, Cap!" Clint answered.

Steve thought quickly, thinking of Natasha. " _Please promise me you'll bring him back to us_ ". He took the shield, throwing it up at Ultron. The shield hit him in the head and it distracted Ultron.

"Clint, get out of here!" Steve snapped.

Clint flew off with the casket to get it to safety.

 **(Avengers Tower)**

Clint was below the room as he was trying to figure out where Ultron could possibly be while Tony was doing whatever upstairs. Suddenly, he heard fighting upstairs. Looking up, he frowned when he saw the twins up there talking to Tony and Bruce. Taking his gun, he immediately aimed it above his head where Pietro was standing and fired a single bullet, shattering the glass underneath his feet.

Pietro fell and Clint ran over, pressing his foot into his hip to pin him there. "What? You didn't see that coming?" he asked with a smirk.

With the creation of The Vision and The Vision proving himself worthy of their trust, Clint got ready for another battle. He opened his locker, removing several arrowheads. Sitting down, he removed his favorite picture of Natasha and the kids. His thumb moving over the picture as he thought of them. He let out a deep breath, leaning forward a little. "Barton," Steve called out, making him look up.

"I'm coming," Clint answered.

He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovered over the text app, but he decided against it. He put his phone in his locker and closed it before leaving.

 **(Sokovia)**

Clint was shooting arrow after arrow into Ultron's drones. Dodging attacks aimed at him. "Barton, what's your status?" Steve called out.

"I'm doing wonderful over here how about you?" Clint answered sarcastically.

Clint dodged another attack when he saw that he and Wanda were caught in the crossfire. "GO, GO!" he shouted, grabbing her. He threw them both through the window. Wanda moved away from him terrified.

"What did we do? Oh God, what did we do?" she babbled.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Clint called to her.

"This is all our fault," Wanda said shakily.

"Hey, it's your fault, it's everyone's fault who cares. Are you up for this? Are you?" he asked Wanda.

The young woman stared at him. "Listen, I have to know because the city is flying…" he trailed off, unsure if he believed his own words, "The city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense." He held his bow up when shots were fired. Sending his arrow through a hole and hitting his target. "But I'm going back out there because it's my _job_ and I can't do my job and babysit," he told her, "You go out there and you fight, you fight to kill. If you don't want to stay that's good too, I'll find your brother and tell him where to find you. Just understand if you go out that door, you _are_ an Avenger." Wanda just stared at him. "Alright, got it," he answered standing up.

Walking over to the doors, he pulled one of his gadets off his boot. "Yea the city _is_ flying," he muttered to himself as he swung the gadet forward and three arrows sprung from it. He let out a deep breath as he kicked the door open and swung around, firing his arrows at his targets.

 **(Barton home)**

Natasha was trying to get the kids ready for the day. She was nervously pacing the house, but was acting so she wouldn't worry the kids. "Mom, is dad going to come home?" Nikolai asked. Natasha smiled at her son.

"Of course he is," she answered.

She looked at her son with a smile. Stroking his cheek gently. She felt her unborn son kick her stomach and she moved her hand over it as she looked over at the news. " _There is absolute mayhem in Sokovia today. There was an evacuation early this morning with the Avengers help. Now Sokovia has been lifted from the very Earth and is now thousands of feet in the air_ ," a reporter explained. Natasha leaned against the counter as she pressed her hand to her forehead.

"What's wrong mommy?" Gabrielle asked.

Natasha let out a deep breath, smiling at her daughter. "Mommy's just not feeling well this morning. Why don't you go get your backpacks and I'll drive you two to school," she told them.

 **(Sokovia)**

Pietro was running through the battlefield as Clint removed his jacket, tossing it aside. His family's picture falling out of the pocket. Pietro looked at the picture, seeing a woman heavily pregnant and two children in front of her. He looked over at Hawkeye. He had a family.

Clint was growing exhausted, but he wouldn't let his movements slow down not even for a second. He at one point had lean against the wall, tilting his head back. " _Come back to me_ ," Natasha's voice echoed in his head. He swung back around, firing another arrow.

"Clint," Steve called out.

"I'm alright," Clint answered, pushing Steve back.

They made their way over to the key. "How can you possibly defeat me?" Ultron asked.

"Well, like the old man said…together," Tony answered.

They started fighting the drones that were attacking them.

When Fury arrived with the boats, Clint helped them get survivors onto the boat. "Get yourself to a boat," Steve told him.

"Where are you going?" Clint asked.

"Thor and I are going to check for more survivors," Steve answered.

Clint leaned against the side of a bot when he heard a young woman call out for her brother. "We were in the market," she said tearfully. He looked over and saw the little boy hiding in fear. He rushed over to the boy.

"Alright, time to go," he told the boy, lifting him up.

Pietro was standing off to the side, trying to stop drones from attacking Wanda and the key. He looked over to see Ultron firing at the Avengers and he was heading right for Clint.

Clint saw the blasts coming his way. " _I'm sorry, Nat_ ," he thought. He swung around with the boy in his arms to protect him from the attack. Yet, none of the bullets hit him. Lifting his head, he checked on the child in his arms then towards Pietro. Pietro stood there with his body covered in bullet holes.

"You didn't see that coming," Pietro told him before collapsing.

Steve rushed over to Clint as he checked Pietro's pulse. He was gone. He looked at Steve with a frown before Captain America lifted the dead Quicksilver up. Clint did a double take when something fell out of Pietro's pocket. He bent down and saw that it was the picture of Natasha and the kids. Frowning, feeling nothing but guilt go through him as he picked the boy back up and walked back to the boat.

He got onto the boat, looking at the blood on his hand from Pietro's body. He sat down and an agent rushed over to help him. "No, no, I'm fine, it's just…been a really long day," he told the agent as he lied down on the bench, looking at Pietro's dead body. "Thank you, Pietro," he murmured. He closed his eyes as exhaustion finally took over him.

 **(Barton Home)**

Natasha was cleaning up the dinner dishes while Gabrielle and Nikolai were reading on the couch. She suddenly had a feeling she was being watched. Turning around, she saw Clint standing there with his duffel in his hand. She couldn't fight the tears that welled up in her eyes. He was alive. She walked over, hugging him tightly. Clint hugged her back, rubbing her back as he breathed in her scent. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you more," he answered.


End file.
